My preference would be for everyone to stop talking about the dog stories, but that's not how speech works. No one notices that some speakers are refraining from speaking. In a free-speech marketplace of ideas, you've got to provide more speech. You might say, well, let's be high-minded about this and say things like: Let's avoid distractions and discuss things that really matter, like the economy. But that won't drive the Seamus story away. You've got to offer an equivalent product in the marketplace of ideas, and Obama-eats-dog is that product.

The bad economy (yes it is) has led many people to abandon their pets sending more dogs and other animals to shelters and often euthanasia. Big government is murder. If you can, adopt a lost pet... and don't eat it right away.

"somehow in 2008 the passage of "Dreams From My Father" that Treacher highlights escaped the notice of the watchdogs of the press, which is why it is news now, four years later and 17 years after publication. If a Republican turned out to have eaten dog meat as a child, the mainstream media's vetting would have included a visit to the veterinarian."

Obama people thought they had a winning narrative in Seamus and that needed to be squashed. Romney got lucky. I am more interested in the dynamic of twitter than anything else here. It is a perfect vehicle to a marketplace of short, witty ideas, creating the right buzz.

It was one doggone day yesterday. See what I did there. I would send it over twitter if I had an account.

It is "Rules for Radicals" turned against them. Rule #5 - "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.". Like I read on twitter - the problem isn't that people are upset over Obama eating a dog when he was a kid, the problem is that now they are openly mocking him. And it is WONDERFUL.

It also gives me confidence (along with the Ann Romney fracas) that Team Romney knows how to fight the social media battle. On top of that, the right seems to be a lot more internet savvy than it was just three years ago.

If this little morsel was unreported, buried in the dusty pages of a memoir written by a guy who hadn't even made it to middle-age yet, what else is in there that never got mentioned?

To the degree there is an issue here, it is the gross incompetency of the Obama campaign.

How do they not know their candidate ate dog?

And that resurrecting a stale attack on Romney regarding Seamus (great Irish name, btw) wouldn't result in mass disclosure of Obama eating dog?

I take it as a given Obama is incompetent; I expected better from the professionals who got their affirmative-action, least qualified man ever nominated by a major political party for president actually elected.

It's hilarious to see journalists on the left make the dog-on-top-of-car story a big deal.So the economy is bad and all of Obama's lofty schemes are failures, not solely because of Obama, but because punitive redistributionist death to free markets neo-Marxist ideas themselves are failures. No wait. Romney once drove with his dog on top of the car. Squirrel!

A glimpse of what the desperate Pro-Obama media will do for their master. They will obey Axelrod's commands and dig for any bone they can find on Romney. All while democrat failures are ignored.

The dynamic of what happened on twitter with the Obama ate a dog story was fascinating to watch in real time. Those who seem to believe that the right was seriously saying that they had a problem with Obama eating dog as a child has missed the entire point. The point was to mock the trotting out of the Seamus story by an administration that has nothing to run on. The point was to mock the entire dynamic of a media who have no problem turning big nothing-burgers into minor scandals so long as they get to choose what gaffe or minor biographical detail, and whose, gets targeted.

The point of the Obama Ate A Dog viral joke meme was to point and laugh as official campaign spokesmen took great umbrage and came out to very seriously and solemnly refute... a joke. About eating a dog.

Imagine Bill Clinton's spokespersons taking to the airwaves to bat down every viral cigar joke. Yeah. That. Would you laugh even harder? I would.

The point of the viral Obama Ate A Dog meme was to give a big finger to the entire "We Control The Narrative" political and media complex.

The fact that they then stamped their feet and screeched "Stop that! Stop that right this minute!" was just gravy.

Fen"Escaped the notice of the watchdogs of the press." Brilliant! Maybe they were afraid of what Obama might do to/with the watchdogs. Up until now liberal watchdogs enjoyed immunity, now they have to worry about getting stamped USDA standard.

Turns out dog meat is illegal in Jakarta, which means two things: whoever wrote that vignette wasn't terribly concerned about the truth, and the Left's best defense against this story is to say so. Of course, that would open a much bigger can of worms. On the other hand, maybe Obama eats worms too.

The bad economy (yes it is) has led many people to abandon their pets sending more dogs and other animals to shelters and often euthanasia

It is not at all uncommon in this area to wake up in the morning and discover that someone has, in the middle of the night, dropped off several horses, mules or donkeys on your property.

You went to bed with 3 horses and woke up with 5.

The people who do this don't want to kill their horse "pets" and the cost of feed has gone through the roof. It is cheaper to haul your animal up to where there is pasture and people are able to take care of the livestock. If the animal isn't sick or diseased, the land owner will usually just shrug and suck it up. One more horse....oh well.

Unknown: The dynamic of what happened on twitter with the Obama ate a dog story was fascinating to watch in real time. Those who seem to believe that the right was seriously saying that they had a problem with Obama eating dog as a child has missed the entire point. The point was to mock the trotting out of the Seamus story by an administration that has nothing to run on. The point was to mock the entire dynamic of a media who have no problem turning big nothing-burgers into minor scandals so long as they get to choose what gaffe or minor biographical detail, and whose, gets targeted.

The point of the Obama Ate A Dog viral joke meme was to point and laugh as official campaign spokesmen took great umbrage and came out to very seriously and solemnly refute... a joke. About eating a dog.

Imagine Bill Clinton's spokespersons taking to the airwaves to bat down every viral cigar joke. Yeah. That. Would you laugh even harder? I would.

The point of the viral Obama Ate A Dog meme was to give a big finger to the entire "We Control The Narrative" political and media complex.

The fact that they then stamped their feet and screeched "Stop that! Stop that right this minute!" was just gravy.

On a dog.

Unknown, you've got the best breakdown of this that I've seen on the net to date.

Check out my post in the yesterdays man eats dog thread. It will calm your fears about dogs leashed in the back of pick up trucks.....in Calif at least.

:-D

This whole Obama/Dog meme is the funniest thing that has happened for the longest time.

Unknown has nailed it. And it does give me hope that the Romney campaign has the ability to 'punch back twice as hard'.

Now if Romney can just explain in simple concepts what his platform is on economic recovery. Give us a BIG VISION like Ronald Reagan did and don't get mired down in the itty bitty minutiae. That is where the MSM will try to derail the campaign.

I'm glad to be able to get off serious topics for a couple of days. We need a breather before the real fight begins.

Also: + it neutralizes the dog-carrier story, + the jokes write themselves,+ you have to be able to laugh or you look uptight and unhip,+ it exposes the media narrative hide /spotlight game+ Romney's team has game!!

And as for Romney, while he had the advantage of being born to wealth, he and his siblings chose to give up their wordly inheritance and start over. In that sense Romney is more of a self-made man than Obama, who has always been carried along by others.

"Obama's administrative helpers helped create this ridicule of Romney and his dog. Which only goes to show, none of them read Obama's stupid book."

Colbert, Stewart, et al have been pounding on the Romney dog jokes for months because they think that the meme (like that of Quayle and the potato, Bush and the scanner, etc.) will sink Romney. When they get pushback, they shit themselves and we're all supposed to collectively say, "can we get serious?" Fuck that. Keep pounding away. Like Obama on a visla cutlet.

On one side the electorate will imagine nicebut slightly bumbling Romney, whole 7-person family packed in an all-American station wagon. With Seamus and luggage on top. Going to Walley World.

On the other, they will image a scene of Obama. As fresh in white robe and prayer cap - coming home from the madrassah school past tin shacks where men are beating veiled women. Then, home, pausing in Muslim prayers of thanks, before eating dog rolled in exotic Indonesian spices. *********************Coincidentally, Romneys famous trip with Seamus and 6 other family members happened in 1983, which was the year the classic old comic movie came out.

Romney: I feel terrible. Motorcycle Cop: How do you think that little dog feels? Romney: Look, I told you I was sorry. It really was an accident. Motorcycle Cop: Well, I guess I can buy that, sir. But it is a shame. I had a pooch like this when I was a kid. [both Romney and the motorcycle cop sorrowfully look at the station wagon dribbling in dog shit behind them] Motorcycle Cop: Poor little guy. Probably shit his doggie brains out until he ran out a few miles back. [tearing up] Romney: "Well sir, I am a fine businessman, and I have a recovery plan for this situation! Hose the car and dog down. No more junk food slipped to Seamus by my 5 sons after that!"Motorcycle cop: {looking at Romney's ID} Look, Romney, as a fine businessman, surely you would like to help out some Heroes in Blue by donating to our widows and orphans fund.Romney: It's Mitt. My friends call me Mitt. Not Willard as it says there. And instead of money, I have spare Mormon literature those widows and orphans will likely enjoy more than money.Motorcycle cop: On your way...ROMNEY!

Bo spotted alive and intact today, Aug 13th. Still has all 4 legs and tail too! Nothing of Bo has been put in a Muslim curry...yet!UPDATE from last Bo sighting July 13th. In comment Aug 12th, Obama demanded the nation move on from this distraction..and adamantly denied that he refused to get a dog before becoming President because they made his mouth water.

Colbert, Stewart, et al have been pounding on the Romney dog jokes for months because they think that the meme (like that of Quayle and the potato, Bush and the scanner, etc.) will sink Romney. When they get pushback, they shit themselves and we're all supposed to collectively say, "can we get serious?" Fuck that. Keep pounding away. Like Obama on a visla cutlet.

Indeed. If they wished to make this a huge issue in regards to Romney, why on God's Earth should anybody pull punches with Obama --- especially when we are getting some golden Photoshop work out of this.

Is it sad that Ace of Spades is routinely funnier than Stewart or Colbert?

And isn't it nice that we have not only our first black President --- but the first President to have eaten dog?

"My preference would be for everyone to stop talking about the dog stories, but that's not how speech works."

That's not how politics works. Dems are already onto the next "dog" story/fake scandal about presumptive nominee Romney, and concern trolling on the news about Mormons 'cause they're weird and all, not like other religions.

After years and years of cheap one-sided digs against conservatives and phonied up conservative "scandals" delivered up by over-celebrated second-rate comedians with entire programs, entire goddam "news" channels (some even funded with our own tax dollars) devoted to the amplification thereof. Our very own cheap one-sided dig. And we should stop?? I. Think. Not.I could go for a new topic, though.It's not like there's a shortage.

That's not how politics works. Dems are already onto the next "dog" story/fake scandal about presumptive nominee Romney, and concern trolling on the news about Mormons 'cause they're weird and all, not like other religions.

I’m not sure that Democrats really want to raise the religious issue this fall. It might bring back stories about Obama’s 20 plus year close and personal relationship with a “minister” screaming “G** D**n America” from the pulpit.

My preference would be for everyone to stop talking about the dog stories, but that's not how speech works.

Agreed I felt the same way when the “dog in the carrier on the roof” story was circulated during the 2008 primary and Obama supporters kept harping on it. Now that the fork is in the other paw, they’re suddenly not as interested in discussing dogs just like the “war on women” theme ended when the attacks on Mrs. Romney backfired. That being said, I agree with Romney that this election is about jobs and not about dogs.

That liberal piece of dog Gail Collins apparently can't write a column without referring Romney and the dog episode, thankfully I know this without having to read her column so I'm glad for the Obama dog eating push back.

Horses Against Obama is a real issue. In 2011, Obama reversed existing law and legalized the slaughter and consumption of horses in the US (after specifically promising the exact opposite in his 2008 campaign).

Dogs Against Romney is a fake issue. Maybe that's why they won't give us a Like and are deleting our comments from their Facebook page. Apparently they don't really care about animals, just political talking points.

Romney is handling this wrong. Both Mitt and Anne are equestrians. They should counter dog with horse. Obama eats both.

Wow. I followed links from Ace to a McCain twitter joke about eating a dog and the comments were amazing.

You see... McCain was attacking a CHILD. OMG! Talk about no sense of humor at all. Talk about taking everyone making jokes about it seriously. Personally, I don't have a problem with (someone else) eating dog. The outrage over it (or over eating horse) doesn't do a thing for me. (I might eat horse... at least it's not a carnivore. I am personally icked out by the notion of eating carnivores.)

In the real world (as opposed to in America) people eat dogs.

But I still think it's funny. Enormously funny. And people complaining about how mean it is to attack a child just make it that much funnier.

Maybe it's impossible to accept that going on and on about Obama eating a dog is transparently a put-on because doing so would be admitting that the bull-sh*t the other side gets outraged over is every bit as much opportunistic bull-sh*t.

We're supposed to keep on pretending that all the outrage is real... or something.

One interesting thing to me here is that the "Obama ate dog" meme points to another thing - that he really isn't an American - by that, I mean that he doesn't have our shared experiences. He emphasizes a lot more with the 3rd World, because his mother did. Married to two Muslim men, and spending a lot of her life in the 3rd World. Opposing the creative destruction that has made our economy so great, but has destroyed so much of the 3rd World throughout history, and esp. during the 2nd half of the 20th Century (for, what many of us would say, was a better world).

The line about eating dog, snake, insects, etc. is just too foreign for most of us. That isn't what Americans do. We eat steak, hamburger, etc., but not dog or grasshoppers, and rarely snake. But, he says it with no apparent conception of how alien it makes him sound. I hate to say the word here, but unAmerican. He comes across as not having the sensibilities of an American, but rather, those of the Third World.

Sure, that is likely attractive to a lot on the left, esp. those who share with him their distrust of much of what is American. But, for the middle, the rich guy who piled his five kids in his station wagon and dog on top for a vacation almost 30 years ago, is a lot more comfortable than the guy who thinks eating dog, snake, etc. is normal.

"It really isn’t unfair at all to bring Obama’s canine consumption to public attention. The president isn’t really one of us. He’s a dog-eater. He tells the story in his memoir to emphasize that viscerally, Obama identifies with the Third World of his upbringing more than with the America of his adulthood. It is our great misfortune to have a president who dislikes our country at this juncture in our history."